The number of appointments cancelled and rescheduled is worse than 12 months ago, with it regularly exceeding its nine per cent threshold throughout the last financial year

Last year 9.3 per cent of appointments were cancelled and rescheduled by the trust Royal Berkshire Hospital Trust

Angry residents vented their frustrations over cancelled appointments, during a health meeting last week.

The number of appointments cancelled and rescheduled by Royal Berkshire Hospital is worse than 12 months ago, with it regularly exceeding its nine per cent threshold throughout the last financial year.

Acting chief executive for the Royal Berks, Alistair Flowerdew, reassured residents at Thursday’s gathering in Whitley that the situation was improving, but said there was more work to be done.

Last financial year, 9.3 per cent of appointments were cancelled and rescheduled by the trust.

Latest figures released by NHS England showed that between January and March, 55 last minute elective operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons and three of those patients were not treated within 28 days of the cancellation.

Last minute means on the day the patient was due to arrive, after the patient has arrived in hospital or on the day of the operation or surgery.

If the hospital cancels an operation it must offer another date within the next 28 days.

That was an improvement on figures for October to December last year, which showed 68 operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons and six patients were not treated within 28 days.

But it was worse than figures for July to September last year, which saw 47 cancelled operations and one patient not treated within 28 days.

At Thursday’s meeting Mr Flowerdew explained that as the local area’s acute trust, it dealt with emergency cases which sometimes meant outpatient appointments and procedures had to be rescheduled.

He said: “Things have improved but undoubtedly we have still got some way to go. We are looking at the rate of cancellations and recognise we still need to improve them significantly, we are not being at all complacent about it.”

The trust’s appointment-making system, Choose and Book, was also criticised at the meeting for not making clear patients were less likely to find their appointment cancelled if they chose one of the hospital’s satellite sites.

One woman spoke of a friend’s day surgery being cancelled four times by the hospital before it was made clear to her that she would have more success at West Berkshire Community Hospital.

Carol Munt, chairwoman of South Reading Patient Voice, said: “Why not explain to the patient in the first place, so they don’t go through the rigour of booking at Royal Berkshire Hospital and having it cancelled?”

Resident Mo Mcsevney said: “Choose and Book doesn’t make it clear where you are more likely to be successful and get through the process.”

Mr Flowerdew agreed this was a valid comment which he would feed back to the trust.